


i could start a fire with all of the love letters you wrote me, but it wouldn't be as warm as you were when you'd hold me.

by cherrymigraines



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Hospitalization, M/M, Short, Short One Shot, Sickfic, THAT IS A JOKE, can you call this a sickfic his brains on fire, hannibal made him soup again, its true he does i was will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29628873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrymigraines/pseuds/cherrymigraines
Summary: based off of the episode in season one where hannibal visits will in the hospital when he has a bad fever, except its like a few days after that episode (we are going to ignore miss georgia madchen just for the moment. i swear shes fine shes doing great.)listened to this playlist (by myself lol...promo) while i wrote this; https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0m9KjaQxjVE6oGZFlf4b76?si=i6Q0km6ZRsSUA7s_iMBYOQ
Relationships: Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Kudos: 36





	i could start a fire with all of the love letters you wrote me, but it wouldn't be as warm as you were when you'd hold me.

**Author's Note:**

> god please bare with me this is all that's been on my mind for a week

Hannibal stepped out of the elevator he had taken up to the floor where Will currently resided, blinking in surprise at the nurse standing nervously by Will's door. He cautiously approached the woman, afraid of the worst. Had something else happened? It wouldn't shock him in the slightest-- after all, this wasn't just any fever they were dealing with. Of course, though, no one else knew this. Before he could even get a word out, the nurse spun on her heels and gasped as she bumped into Hannibal.

"Oh! Goodness, I'm sorry. You're here to see Will, right?" She asked sweetly, but there was a tasteful disdain in her voice. Hannibal nodded, lips parting to say something. Again, the woman quickly interrupted him, "Could...you...try getting him to take the medicine his doctor prescribed? We've all tried, and he..ah...didn't exactly...comply."

Hannibal's brow quirked up in curiosity, "...What do you mean? He just refused?"

The nurse nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, looking towards the room, "Well, I went in, he got...a little angry that I persisted he took it. Luckily, Dr. Bloom showed up quite on time and got him to at least calm down."

Hannibal tilted his head upward and then nodded slowly, "Right. You can go-- is the medication still in his room?"

"Mhm, Dr. Bloom's got it. Thank you, Dr. Lecter," The nurse sighed with relief, pushing her hair back as she turned to go down the hall. She stopped, turning her head to look back at him, "Please don't force him, though. If he doesn't take it, we just up his dosage tomorrow."

He nodded, watching the nurse disappear down the hallway before slowly creeping into Will's hospital room. He gently knocked on the doorframe, "Good afternoon, Will, Dr. Bloom," He said rather gently, shocked by how his tone came out. He shut the door quietly and softly behind him, careful not to make too much noise as to keep it from upsetting Will any further. 

Alana sighed, setting a small plastic cup on the bedside table next to Will. She looked over and up at Hannibal, "Thank God you're here."

Hannibal exhaled through his nose as if to chuckle silently, "You're having troubles too, I presume?" He asked as he sat down the insulated lunch bag on the table by the window. 

"You can...say that," Alana shook her head, eyes following Hannibal before going back to Will, who looked pained and...sweaty. Dr. Bloom looked back to Hannibal, "He's had three nurses along with myself try to get him to take this pill."

"I'm right...here, y'know," Will said weakly and grumpily, closing his eyes and furrowing his brows, "Can someone-- Can someone turn off the lights? Please?"

Alana and Hannibal both stood up, but Alana waved him off to tell him to sit. She flicked the switch off, then crossed her arms as she looked at Will, "Will, please just take it. It'll help kill that headach--"

"No," Will said sternly, swallowing hard despite how dry his throat was. Alana sighed loudly, head lolling to the side in disdain.

The three sat in silence for several beats, nothing but the steady flow of the air conditioner humming throughout the room. Hannibal crossed one leg over the other at the knees, "Go ahead and go, Dr. Bloom. I've got him."

Alana blinked a few times, "...Are you sure? If he's been a handful for even the staff  _ and  _ me, I'm worried what he'll be like for you."

"I appreciate your concern, Dr. Bloom, but I can manage Will on my own," He reassured the woman, brows raised as he smiled faintly at her, "I am his psychiatrist, after all. What kind of doctor would I be if I couldn't take care of my own patient, hm?"

Dr. Bloom stood there for a moment, looking between both men before sighing. She walked over to her chair and grabbed her coat and her bag, "...Alright. Please call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Of course," Hannibal nodded, smiling faintly at Alana. He watched her open the door and turn to look at Will, eyes immediately darting to the man.

"Feel better, Will," Alana said with furrowed brows before leaving the room. 

She shut the door behind her, which meant it was just the two of them.

Just....him and Will.

Hannibal straightened his posture and stood up, taking his lunch bag with him. He sat in the chair beside the bed, setting the lunch bag on the table next to the cup. He looked at Will, who was half asleep. He unknowingly smiled to himself, clearing his throat quietly, "Will."

Will jolted awake, his eyes snapping open as he inhaled jaggedly. He blinked a few times in a row to focus on Hannibal, "...Don't...tell me to take it."

"I won't."

"Then what do you want?"

"Have you eaten today?"

"....No."

Hannibal reached into the bag, pulling out two small travel-sized bowls that had lids on them. He sat them on the small table, taking out plastic spoons and setting them on top of the bowls. He sat the pack on the floor, "Can you sit up?"

Will nodded slowly and sat up the best he could, grunting under his breath as he hunched forward a little. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed into a yawn, "...Soup?"

"You...enjoyed it last time, and it was easy for you to eat, so I made you tomato soup this time," Hannibal explained, rubbing the back of his index finger with his thumb, "I hope you don't mind. I didn't know how you'd be feeling today, so I didn't want to make you something solid just for you not to be able to eat it."

Will furrowed his brows and focused on the bowls rather than Hannibal, "No, no, I don't...mind at all."

Hannibal let out a hum to let Will know he heard him, moving the table carefully closer to the edge of the bed. He reached under it, unclipping the arm that held it up, and held it with his hand as he swung the tabletop over the side of the bed so Will didn't have to move. He clipped the arm back into place, dusting his hands off by rubbing them together over the floor. Hannibal stood up for a moment, placing a napkin in Will's lap and opening one of the bowls, setting it in front of the man. He opened the other, placing it on the edge of the table closest to him before leaning down and grabbing a water bottle from his lunch bag. He sat it down next to Will's bowl and handed him a spoon, smiling faintly at him. Will took the spoon with a trembling hand, eyes low and tired. 

Hannibal's smile faded as he licked his lips briefly to wet them, clearing his throat, "Are you alright, Will?"

Will looked down at his bowl of tomato soup, unblinking for a moment. He blinked, seeming to zone back into reality, "...As alright as I can be."

Hannibal looked at Will's hands, noticing how badly he was shaking. He furrowed his brows, "Are you cold?"

"No."

"You're shaking."

"...I'm...a little cold."

Hannibal stood again, walking over to the air conditioning unit without a word and turning it off. He took off his suit jacket and carefully reached around Will, draping it over his shoulders, "There. You should warm up soon; between my jacket, no air conditioning, and your soup, you should be alright. Do you need anything else?"

Will blinked sluggishly, face tinted pink. He lightly stirred the soup, "...No."

Hannibal sat down and stared at him as he started to slowly eat his soup, eyeing the color on his face. He honestly couldn't tell if he was blushing or if it was the fever. Hannibal figured it was safer to go with the latter. He opened his own bowl and sat the other napkin in his lap, taking the cap off the water bottle for Will. The doctor figured that he could just get a drink on the way out. He joined Will in eating in silence, finding it pleasant. Hannibal was never fond of eating in silence when he was dining with guests, but then again, Will wasn't just a guest, was he? He was a friend to Hannibal. It didn't bother Hannibal that Will wanted to just bask in the silence of the room. It didn't bother him that Will was dozing off every few moments while they ate together, either. There were a lot of exceptions when it came to that man. 

"...How...long are they keeping me here?" Will suddenly spoke out, shifting with a grunt.

Hannibal looked over at him, brows raised in surprise. He didn't think he would say anything else today. He shook his head slightly, "I'm afraid I don't know. I haven't been told any specifics."

Will scoffed, furrowing his eyebrows and staring at his spoon, "Aren't they supposed to tell you that kind of stuff? Since- Since you're my psychiatrist?"

Hannibal shook his head again, resting his hands in his lap for a moment, "I suppose they're waiting to tell me once they figure out what's wrong with you."

Will practically froze solid at that. Hannibal watched him as he resumed eating his soup, not daring to comment any further on the topic. He didn't need Will upset at him even in the slightest way. The poor man was already having a bad day. Will leaned back and closed his eyes, exhaling weakly.

"Drink some water, Will. You might feel a little better," Hannibal requested, slipping the spoon in his mouth to lick it off. He put the lid back onto his bowl and sat the spoon on top, lifting his napkin from his lap to wipe his mouth, "If not for yourself, do it to ease my mind."

Will stared at Hannibal for a few beats before reaching to grab the water bottle. He untwisted the cap all the way and took a small drink, shivering at how cold it was in comparison to him. Will hadn't realized how hot he had gotten. He barely put the lid back on correctly before sitting it down on the table again, closing his eyes once again. 

"Thank you, Will," Hannibal said as he sat his bowl and spoon in his lunch bag, wiping off Will's spoon with his own napkin and putting the lid on his bowl of unfinished soup. Hannibal sighed softly, "At least you ate half of it, hm?"

Will shrugged in response. He was dozing off again, but it still didn't bother Hannibal. The taller sat the bowl and spoon in the lunch bag with his own, carefully moving the table back and away from the bed so Will didn't end up hitting it when he moved. Hannibal bent down to zip up the lunch bag, placing it on the table next to the water bottle. He took Will's napkin from his lap gently, as to not disturb him. Despite his best efforts, Will still jolted awake and looked up at Hannibal.

Hannibal smiled warmly at him, "Here, hold still," He said gently, using the napkin to wipe the corners of Will's mouth before stepping back half a step.

The other grabbed his wrist weakly, parting his lips to say something. Hannibal blinked in surprise, eyes widening ever-so-slightly. Will let go of him, tilting his head back, "...Nevermind."

Hannibal waited a moment before taking both of their napkins and throwing them away in the room's trashcan, immediately returning to his seat by the bed. He watched Will with careful, warm eyes and rest his arm on the edge of the bed. His hand must've been just close enough for Will to feel him because his fingers brushed Hannibal's hand lightly.

"....Could you..." Will said quietly, exhaustion lacing his words like ribbon, "Just...stay until I fall asleep?"

Hannibal thought he sounded quite pretty like this. He nodded, "Of course. Here, sit up for a moment."

Will obliged, leaning forward just enough Hannibal could get his jacket. Hannibal sat it on the back of the chair, taking Will's blanket by the edge closet to him and adjusting it until it covered him better. He fixed the man's pillow, then lowered the bed's upper half a little. He stepped back and watched Will get comfortable, sighing softly. Hannibal turned and went back to the air conditioning, setting it to low. He knew Will would sweat in his sleep, and how quickly the room got hot wouldn't help. He sat back down, crossing one leg over the other at the knees. 

"Thank you," Will mumbled, closing his eyes. It didn't take him long to fall asleep at all; between having the comfort of someone else in the room and having eaten a little, he felt safe.

Hannibal knew that feeling all too well.

He watched Will, eyes darting to his hand that was closest to the edge of the bed. He gently placed his own on top of it, rubbing his knuckles with his thumb. Part of him wished he could just take Will home and take care of him there, but he assumed that Jack would have something to say about it.

Or Alana. Especially Alana.

Hannibal closed his eyes for a moment, then stood up slowly. He eyed his suit jacket before laying it over Will's chest, fixing it to where it was even with the blanket. Hannibal quietly moved the chair back to where it belonged and picked up his lunch bag, all of his movements silent. He would rather confess to God himself all of his sins than wake him up right now. Hannibal went to the door, giving Will one last glance before slipping out of the room. He wanted to stay, truly. The man felt such an urge to care for Will that it made him sick sometimes, but he knew that he couldn't. Not as long as Alana is around to say something about Hannibal's professionalism every time he mentions wanting to be friends with Will or even anything of the sort.

Perhaps one day Hannibal can take care of him on a sick day in his own home. 


End file.
